1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally pertains to the field of document image scanners and ticket scanning terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Branding of tickets is a technique commonly used in lottery systems to make permanent markings on lottery tickets after a prize has been claimed. Branding, therefore, prevents the same ticket from being presented for payment more than once. Conventionally, tickets printed on ordinary ticket paper are branded using impact printers by inking the ticket or through or other mechanical methods, such as punched holes.
Branding of tickets printed on thermal ticket paper (an often thin and insubstantial form of paper) is typically carried out using a scanner having a printer that features a thermal head placed a distance away from the scanner feed roller. This configuration, however, requires a complex and expensive paper transport mechanism having multiple feed rollers. What is needed, therefore, is an improved document scanner having branding functionality. More particularly, what is needed is an improved document scanner that is configured to brand documents (such as lottery and other gaming tickets for example) and that requires only a single feed roller for both the scanner and the print head. What is also required is a branding document scanner that is configured to correct for skewed and off-centered documents inserted therein.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved document scanner having branding functionality. It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved document scanner that is configured to brand documents (such as lottery and other gaming tickets for example) and that requires only a single feed roller for both the scanner and the print head. A further object of the present invention is to provide a branding document scanner that is configured to correct for skewed and off-centered documents inserted into the scanner.
In accordance with the above-described objects and those that will be mentioned and will become apparent below, a document image scanner, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a feed roller; an image sensor adapted to sense an image of a document inserted in the scanner while pressing the document against the feed roller; and a printer adapted to print an indicium (or indicia) on the document while pressing the document against the feed roller.
According to further embodiments, the printer may be adapted to selectively assume a printing position in which the printer is positioned to print the indicium on the document and a non-printing position away from the printing position. The feed roller may be adapted to feed the document to both the image sensor and to the printer. The image sensor may be or may include a contact Image Sensor (CIS). The printer may be or may include a thermal print head. The printer may include a print head that is wider than the document inserted in the document scanner. The printer may be pivotally coupled to a hinge and the document may be caused to at least partially wrap around the feed roller when the printer is pivoted to the printing position. The document may be substantially tangent to an outer surface of the feed roller when the printer is pivoted to the non-printing position. The document may include an initially machine readable marking thereon and the indicium printed by the printer may render the marking unreadable.
The present invention is also a method of capturing an image of a document and branding the document, comprising the steps of scanning the image of the document while pressing the document against a feed roller and branding the document by printing an indicium thereon while pressing the document against the feed roller. The document may be a gaming ticket that includes an initially machine readable marking thereon and the branding step may render the marking unreadable.
The present invention is also a document image scanner comprising a feed roller, an image sensor and a printer, in which both the image sensor and the printer apply pressure against the (same) feed roller when the printer is in operation.
According to further embodiments, the printer may be adapted to selectively assume a printing position in which the printer is positioned to print an indicium on a document inserted in the document image scanner and a non-printing position away from the printing position. The same feed roller is configured to feed a document inserted into the document image scanner to both the image sensor and to the printer. The image sensor may include a Contact Image Sensor (CIS), for example. The printer may include, for example, a thermal print head. The printer may include a print head that is wider than the document (or wider than a printable area on the document) inserted in the document scanner. The printer may be pivotally coupled to a hinge and the document may be caused to at least partially wrap around the feed roller when the printer is pivoted to the printing position. The document may be substantially tangent to the outer surface of the feed roller when the printer is pivoted to non-printing position. The document may include an initially machine readable marking thereon and the indicium printed by the printer may render the marking unreadable.